Web pages often include icons, such as, corporate logos, patterns, characters, symbols or other indicators, that a user associates with a particular offering in the real world. A trust or good will is often associated with the recognition of a given set of icons. These icons are implemented, for example, as bitmaps, but unfortunately, these bitmaps can be copied and used to defraud a prospective consumer. Additionally, consumers rely on the accuracy of a URL of a web page. However, it is relatively easy for a “fraudster” to register a URL that is like the one the user is expecting, but is not quite the same. For example, “www.bigbank.com” vs. “www.blgbank.com” (with an “I” instead of an “i”). Thus, a user may retrieve an unwanted webpage that appears authentic. Therefore, the user may not always be confident that the web page being viewed is authentic and the true owner of a web page may be uncertain.
Another growing problem relating to the Internet is fraudulent use of email for the purpose of identity theft. Legitimate organizations often use email to communicate with members or to solicit prospects. For example, a financial institution may send information relating to a credit account to a borrower. This information may include payment reminders, offers for credit, promotions, account statements, applications, etc. An identity theft may include sending an email which includes a return address very similar to the legitimate organization. The body of the email may contain identifying features such as logos that make the email appear to be legitimate. A common email scam employed by identity thieves is to, for example, send an email to a credit account holder stating that for security purposes, the holder must verify their social security number and account number, otherwise their account will be canceled. The email body may request that the consumer provide the requested information in a return email or may contain a URL linking to a fraudulent web page (as previously described) where the consumer may be prompted to enter personal information.
In addition to a consumer's lack of confidence in the true owner of a web page or the sender of an email, there currently exists a problem (either real or perceived) in the transport of personal information across the Internet. While most web sites provide security by, for example, using a secure protocol such as Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS) for sensitive data, most consumers are complacent about checking for this security. Moreover, there is currently no technology to ensure that only email messages from legitimate senders are delivered to a consumer's email address. Thus, a need exists for a system and method that allow a page and/or an email message to be authenticated so that a consumer feels secure in the authenticity of pages displayed from Internet sites and email messages received from an organization.